Rail-joint.



No. 762,778. PATENTBD JUNE 14, 1904.

A. VOGEL.

RAIL JOINT.

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Y N 0 M 0 D E L.

UNITED STATES Patented June 14, 1904.

ANTON VOGEL, MERRILL, WISCONSIN.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 762,778, dated June 14, 1904.

Application filed May 29, 1903. erial No- 159,342. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTON VoeEL, a citizen I of the United States, residing at Merrill, in

the county of Lincoln and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which-the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in rail-joints; and its object is to provide a splice-bar of simple construction adapted to securely fasten the adjoining ends of rails.

A further object is to so construct the splicebar that the same may be clamped upon the webs of the rails.

WVith the above and other objects in view the invention consists in providing a splice-.

bar comprising a head, which is similar in contour and size to the heads of the rails to be joined, and extending from this head are parallel flanges equal in height to the height of the webs of the rails. The heads of the rails to be connected are cut away at their ends, and the splice-bar is placed between said cut-away ends and upon the webs of the rails. The flanges of the splice-bar extend on opposite sides of said webs and are adapted to be clamped thereupon by means of suitable bolts. These flanges bear upon the flanges of the rails and serve to support the head of the,

splice-bar and strengthen the joint.

The invention also consists in the further novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed,

and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, showing the preferred form of my invention, and in which I Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved splice-joint. Fig- 2 is a perspective view of the splice-bar. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a rail, showing the end thereof cut away to receive the splice-bar; and Fig. 1 is a section on line a 4, Fig. 1.

Referring to the figures by numerals of reference, 1 1 are rails, the heads 2 ofwhich are cut away at their ends to form projecting Webs 3. A splice-bar is adapted to be arranged upon these webs and comprises a head 4, similar in size and shape to the heads of the rails and having parallel longitudinally-extending flanges 5 extending downward therefrom and adapted to receive the webs 3 therebetween. Theseflanges are equal in height to the webs 1 and their lower edges are so shaped as to conform tothe curvature of the flanges 6 of the rails. Flanges 5 are adapted to be clamped upon the webs of the rails by means of bolts 7, and these bolts also serve to securely fasten the splice-bar and the rails together. In View of the clamping action of the flanges upon the webs a practically solid continuous rail is formed, and, moreover, as thezflanges 5 bear upon the flanges 6 the splicebar is held rigidly in alinement with the heads of the rails and is prevented from being depressed or from moving laterally. The head t rests upon the projecting webs 3, and the weight of the splice-bar is not therefore supported entirely by the flanges 5.

I attach importance to arranging the clamping devices? at opposite inclinations from each otherthat is to say, by placing them at the upper and lower portions of the flanges 5. By this means the two lower ones are each arranged near the opposite ends of the flanges and the two upper ones are arranged approximately side by side on the central upper surface of said flanges, said arrangement of the upper ones serving to relieve the lower ones from strain when pressure is brought to bear on the upper ones by means of the rollingstock passing over the joints of the rails.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is In a rail-joint, the combination'with similar rails having webs provided with parallel faces throughout their lengths, and the heads of said rails being cut away at their ends to form projecting portions. of the webs, the baseflanges of the rails having smooth upper faces inclined downward from the webs; of a splicebar formed in a similar piece and comprising a head similar in contour to the heads of the rails and equal in length to the combined lengths of the abutting projecting portions of the webs, flat downwardly-extending parallel flanges integral with the head and adapted to receive the projecting portions of the webs therebetween, the lower edges of said flanges the flanges and at an inclination with each 1 bearing upon the smooth inclined faces of the other. base-flanges at points removed from the outer In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature in edges thereof and, inhcogjunction with the presence of two witnesses.

5 webs, su ortin the ea of the s ice-bar and clarn p ing deiices for securing the flanges ANTON VOGEL' of the head upon the webs and binding the Witnesses: rails together, said clamping devices being THOS. L. DAVISON, arranged near the upper and lower edges of LOUIS VOGEL. 

